Breaking Barriers
by konekoxsasaki
Summary: Eleven was new. He liked that. Everything was different, yet it was still the same. But the biggest change in his life was just around the corner, and with its arrival, the existence of reality itself was brought into question. And it all started when She arrived.
1. Chapter 1

**Authors note: Well, Hi! This is the newest idea I was talking about on my authors note for Sweet Dreams 2! I hope you enjoy! **

** And those who do read Sweet Dreams, don't worry, I'll be posting up chapter 14 ASAP. If you haven't read it, please feel free to, though I'll be rewriting it soon ^.^ **

** Enjoy, and please review, I adore them ^.^**

* * *

It seemed entirely impossible for the young woman to be standing there, on a ledge on the roof of Canary Wharf, overlooking the bustling city of London.

For one thing, she didn't exist. Not technically. Not in this world at any rate.

And secondly, she hadn't been stood there just seconds ago. If anyone had happened to be at that height at the moment of her arrival, they would have seen another impossibility. A tear in the sky, ripping through reality, and then a sound much like a thunderclap. And then-she was there, her dark hair whipping across her face as she looked down, swearing and backing away from the edge, her skin turning pale, her brown eyes widening.

She glanced around the ledge slowly, edging towards a small hatch leading to safety. The wind roared and buffeted her hair, threatening to throw her off the building and down onto the hectic streets below. She trembled, feet slipping a little. Chuck Taylor's never did offer much grip, a point she would raise with her dad as soon as she next saw him. She froze momentarily, choking back a quick sob. Her dad. Both he and her mum were counting on her, she had so little time- for all she knew, those monsters had killed him already, and were heading to Earth to find her mother. She determinedly shoved the thought away, scrambling over to the hatch and clambering through, where the sudden silence was almost painful.

She glanced around at the darkened and long abandoned corridor, taking in every dim and dusty detail. The tacky plastic sheets hanging across one wall, hiding what she knew she didn't want to think about. The factory line that built an army from captured innocents.

Her right wrist buzzed. There was a thick band wrapped around it, a round device facing upwards. It could pass as an ordinary watch, provided no one looked too carefully. Good thing humans were so blatantly ignorant. However, anyone who DID look too closely would see several readings across the screen, one digital, clearly displaying a time and date, another blank for the moment, and then the third, a larger screen than the other two, it was filled with swirling and looping diagrams, circles crossing over one another in a seemingly pointless fashion. The young woman followed those patterns with her eyes , reading them as easily as if they were plain English. Second nature to her, as she had been taught the language from the day she could read.

No unusual signatures bar her own recent jump, she mused. That was quite a powerful spike, and she wondered if that would draw His attention here. Possibly, though her more reasonable side was already dismissing the idea. He wouldn't come here. He wouldn't want to come anywhere near Torchwood's old base. Not with those memories. Her dad had only told her the story reluctantly, his strong jaw set, his hands clenching tight around the machinery he had been tinkering with. He had refused to look at her as he spoke about rifts, Cybermen, daleks, magna clamps and fate- her mum had eventually had to take his hand and make him a good tannin-filled cup of tea to get him to relax and finish telling it.

She stumbled as she made her way down the corridor, a sudden urge to see the room. Was it still there? Was it exactly as she had imagined it?

She was so tired, she thought, her legs shaking with the effort to keep standing. That dimension cannon really needed some fine-tuning, maybe finding an alternate power source that would be able to further protect the passenger from all the forces of the Void, not to mention the strain of passing through dimensional Walls...why was she complaining? She was here and alive wasn't she? She just needed to find him, and he could give her father the help he desperately needed. It had to be him, he was their only chance left.

She reached the door she wanted, it was already ajar, and she slowly pushed it open, staring through to the room.

The lights lit up automatically, flickering uncertainly, casting multiple shadows across the desks. It was strange , a snapshot in time. Everything had been left exactly as it once had been.

There were wires scattered across the floor, papers, a few chairs tipped to the side, leaning against desks, computers, gadgetry, and then...she stepped further into the room, staring at the far wall. Just a plain white wall, so seemingly innocent, but it sent shivers down the young woman's spine. She found herself stepping past all the desks, her long coat brushing against the chairs. She tripped slightly over the wiring, staring at the wall, taking in the details around her. There were the two switches- she had expected them to be bigger, but still, there they were...and that meant the...yes. She turned slightly to the right, staring at the clamp that was still suckered to the wall, the small light still lit, even years after its use. So the other one...she turned , walking over to the opposite wall, reaching out to brush her hand along the dusty handle of the clamp. Her gaze moved to the far wall, and she found herself thrown into the scene. The man, clinging desperately to this very clamp, a force threatening to tear him from the wall, and him almost willing to let it as he watched a young blonde woman flying into the Void... She could see it, could hear the screams echoing through her and then- she let go of the clamp, forcing herself away from the cold metal, her handprint clear through the dust. Her skin tingled, a faint taste of metal in her mouth.

She hated being sensitive to time.

Her legs shuddered, giving out beneath her and she slid to the floor, a hand at her forehead. A wave of nausea washed over her but she bit it back, forcing herself to get up, at least over to one of the desks. Reaching into her coat pocket, she pulled out a thin metal device, switching it on and running the flickering blue light over the nearest screen, switching it on and opening a video link. She bit her lip, before reaching into her pocket again and pulling out a crumpled square of paper. A few words were scrawled across the paper, and then a set of numbers.

"Torchwood...Sarah...Jane?..." she murmured, reading the sheet, voice weak. "...Martha Jones..." she hummed thoughtfully as she tapped in the complex series of numbers, opening up a feed. The webcam attached to the top of the screen blinked on, and she stared into it, clearing her throat nervously. Her hand lifted, fingers running through her hair.

"Um." she addressed the camera. "Anyone that can see this, you must be able to help me." she bit her lip, trying to think of what to say, trying to remain strong despite her vision fading fast. The jump had really drained her. "None of you will know who I am, but.. I'm looking for someone you all know. Lives are depending on it." she looked down at her paper. "So...Jack Harkness...Martha Jones...Sarah Jane Smith, anyone who is , uh..." she glanced back up, mentally wincing at how disjointed she sounded. "Anyone who is listening. I need the Doctor." Her voice grew stronger. "Do you hear me? The. Doctor. I don't care how far I have to travel...but I need him. So help me. Help me find the Doctor..." her voice faltered again, and she swallowed thickly, White spots blurring her vision, her blood suddenly roaring in her ears. "Help me."

She felt herself fall, still murmuring the same words over and over again.

"Help me..."

There was an annoying light moving above her.

" You found her like this?" the voice was a mans, American and business like, slightly shocked. She didn't move, determined to gather as much intelligence as she could.

" The call came in through the Hub. Luckily I was already in London. I dunno how you got it though. Where were you?" This was a woman, her voice softly lilting, a welsh accent clear. Footsteps suggested that she was moving...pacing.

"Well, yeah, Ianto sent me about a half hour ago, He has his phone patched into the main computers," There was a pause and then he continued happily. " Best not ask where we were." There were warm fingers pressed just below her jaw, searching for a pulse. She didn't dare to move now, though it was hard to stay still when his fingers suddenly jerked away. He swore softly and the footsteps moved closer.

"What?! What is it?"

The American voice didn't respond, and there was a muted whirring sound, followed by a small series of beeps. More swearing ensued.

"Look at the read out." he breathed, sounding stunned. She mentally groaned, before allowing her eyes to open, looking up at the white ceiling. Still in that room then. Her gaze flickered to the right, seeing two figures beside her. One man, turned away from her, dark haired, muscular underneath his t-shirt. He was facing an older woman, her worried face framed by dark hair, her eyes wide as she read a small device on the mans wrist.

"...how is that even possible? You told me He was the only one left." the dark haired woman asked, stunned. He shrugged, and she looked over, mouth open, evidently about to speak. Their eyes met and the young woman scrambled up, backing away from the pair, making the man turn.

She fought back a gasp. He was utterly gorgeous, perfect white teeth, perfect smile, piercing eyes...but he was also...wrong. She couldn't look directly at him, her teeth itching with that metallic taste again, her hair standing on end.

"You're all wrong." She whispered as she stared at him, and he at her. He carefully extended a hand, making her flinch.

"My name is Captain Jack Harkness." he stated slowly and clearly, moving steadily closer to where she had backed herself into a wall. "I represent Torchwood."

The young woman didn't move. She was terrified, Jack realised with a pang. Not that he hadn't dealt with situations like this before. He knew how to deal with scared aliens, but there was something...familiar about her. Something familiar in those wide , chocolate brown eyes. She crouched against the wall, one hand out defensively, fingers splayed , her eyebrow raised as if to question him. It was ridiculously familiar, and he glanced to Gwen beside him to see if he was the only one with this impression. She was staring at the girl with a frown darkening her features.

The girls lips parted, and she cleared her throat a little.

"Captain Jack Harkness?"

He nodded.

"You sent us a message, didn't you?" he asked softly, inching closer.

She blinked, slowly straightening, her eyes flickering to the other woman's. Gwen smiled hesitantly, eyes briefly flickering to Jacks.

"It's ok." she murmured soothingly. " My name is Gwen Cooper, and I promise you, you are safe."

The girl dropped her hand, pressing it flat against the wall behind her. Her other one tugged her coat lapel, wrapping it more firmly around her, obviously a protective motion.

"...Do you know where the Doctor is?" she asked softly, in such a helpless voice that Gwen had to fight the urge to hug the poor girl.  
Instead, she shook her head slowly, looking to Jack. He took charge immediately, smiling his most charming grin, but noting how the girl avoided looking at him directly.

"May I ask why you need the Doctor , miss...?"

"Jessica." The girl supplied. "I...This world is in danger."

Jack nodded slowly, carefully surveying her .

"You mentioned this, but not what from...perhaps we can help-"

At this Jessica darted forwards, standing tall, her dark eyes burning intensely, her hands clenching into fists. Her lip pulled back a little as she seethed.

"No! it has to be him! That's why I was sent here."

Jack turned to exchange a glance with Gwen. Reaching for his gun, he inched closer, trying to relax and look benign for her benefit.

"Who sent you?" he asked clearly, watching her as she jerked back to the wall. This girl was odd. And it was still bugging him, that feeling of familiarity, like he already knew her. She smiled gently, just a small twitch of her lips.

"My family."

He relaxed a little, turning on the charm.

"Honey, you have to give us a little bit more... I can't really work with that."

For some reason this brought a smile to Jessica's face. Her dad had told her stories of Captain Jack Harkness, always with the same bemused and rueful grin. Her mum had always laughed about him, fondly recalling his flirtatious ways. Jessica had thought that they were exaggerating, but judging from the pearly white smile, and sudden scent of more than human pheromones in the air, apparently not. She smiled wide, her tongue darting between her teeth, making Jack's eyes widen. He knew that smile.

"And you'll have to try a little harder than that, captain." she replied, suddenly confident, shocking Gwen slightly. She had taken the young girl to be timid and ...well, helpless. But there was evidently a spark of attitude that Jack had managed to ignite. "Come on. I heard you were a flirt, and this...this is disappointing."

Jack beamed. Oh, this girl knew how to play, did she? If only he could pinpoint why she was so...

"I'm just warming up , gorgeous." he answered automatically, making her giggle, though it was short-lived. He took this as a good sign, moving forwards to sit against the wall. He patted the floor beside him, smiling as she hesitantly slid to sit beside him, drawing her knees up to her chest. His gaze flickered to Gwen and he subtly tapped his Vortex Manipulator, asking silently for her to call in the team. She nodded once, before stepping away, moving to the other end of the room, reaching for her phone.

"Now it's just you and me." he said happily when he noticed Jessica watching Gwen disappear. Judging by her fidgeting hands and teeth worrying her lip, she wasn't best pleased by the notion. He leaned casually, comfortably against the wall, the picture of ease as he smiled lazily at her. "So, let's be honest with one another."

She pouted unhappily.

"Look, Jackie boy...I sincerely doubt you can help me. And I don't have time to mess around, fun as it is." She looked over to him, her chocolate eyes deep and intense, burning through him. "I need to find the Doctor."

He stared at her, frowning slightly, thinking for a long moment as she tapped her fingers against her knees in an impatient staccato rhythm. Finally he spoke, staring into her eyes imploringly.

"Who are you really , kid?"

One of her hands lifted, running through her already messy brown hair, pulling it away from her face as she worried her lip. The other hand soon joined, dragging down her face as she stared out across the room. Her lips parted, then closed again, her throat working as she swallowed.

She took a deep breath, and her lips parted once more. Her eyes flickered to the floor briefly and then her gaze shifted to him, her brown eyes staring deeply into his.

When she spoke, her voice was slightly hoarse, trembling, but serious.

"My full name, " she murmured, never looking away. "Is Jessica Jacqueline Tyler. My mother is Rose Tyler, and my father is Doctor John Smith. He is the metacrisis clone of the man I am looking for, and I need to find him because beings from our universe are coming to destroy this one." Her dark eyebrow quirked, as he gaped. "Do you believe me, Captain?"


	2. Rubber Ducklings

Authors note: Well, thanks so much to the ever faithful Dejadthisvu, for her lovely review. It's looking a little lonely on it's own though, wouldn't you say? The Doctor's making his grand entrance in this chapter so please feel free to tell me if I've written him well, poorly, or otherwise ^.^ A lack of feedback makes it hard to tell whether this story is even worth continuing.

Dedicated to dejadthisvu and also to my lovely friend jammiexdodger for all his help and support.

Disclaimer: Doctor Who is not mine, but my friends and I have plans to steal the TARDIS. Watch out, BBC ^.^ And now , on with the show!

The Doctor didn't like domestic. He found it tedious, to say the very least. And, after all, whoever had heard of the great and fearsome Doctor shopping for groceries at Tescos?! He scoffed at the very idea of such a horrible notion. If he had to shop for his food, which he did because the TARDIS had never figured out how to create it,then he would at least go off to someplace exotic. A marketplace at the very edge of the universe, thank you, where he could buy fruits in every colour, or a health drink that gave a person every vitamin they required to remain healthy, and then some. It even came in blueberry flavour, if he fancied that.

Or he could go back to the banana groves at Villemgard. They were rather successful now. Much more so than the weapons factory he had accidentally buried. Bananas are good, he mused as he placed a few bunches of said fruit onto the little black conveyor belt, humming to the tune playing quietly over the speakers.

He could shop absolutely anywhere or anywhen he wanted to. When the TARDIS let him. And she had quite stubbornly decided today where the Doctor was going to pick up supplies whilst Amy slept. And that , he thought, was the only reason he was stood at the till of ASDA, Cardiff, Wales, The United Kingdom, Europe, The Earth, The Milky Way, etcetera, etcetera.

The girl at the counter stared apathetically at the screen of her till, chewing slowly, mouth opening wide with a slightly annoying squelching sound. That coupled with the repetetive bleeping...well, it was enough to drive an alien crazy. But, he contained his impatience, choosing to bounce back on his heels, smiling politely at the teen as she tapped in items.

He hoped Amy was ok. She seemed it, mostly. But after the things Van Gogh had told her, about missing someone, that certain, Rory someone...she must surely be suspecting something or other had happened. She had CRIED. That couldn't go unnoticed, and then she would ask him about it and he would have to tell her all about her brave, brave Rory and how he had died, no worse, faded entirely from existence, and that she was mourning someone that, quite frankly had never been born in the first place...

A trolley suddenly shoved past his back, through the thin gap between the tills, jolting him from his less than happy thoughts. It was piled high with packets of meat, all raw, and vacuum packed, thin slices of fatty bacon, chicken breasts, sausages, you name it. And at the very top of the pile, perched precariously, there was a small pot of Kenco instant coffee. He eyed the trolley with mild interest, smiling politely to the young woman shoving past, stepping forward to give her room.

"Ta." She murmured, not even looking at him.

"Not a problem." He replied happily, smile still plastered on his face, though the recipient couldn't have noticed it. The teen at the till, now blowing a bubble, stopped abruptly, popping the bubble and calling out.

"Here, you ain't paid for any of that!"

The young woman smiled uncomfortably, freezing on her way out of the shop. She moved exceptionally fast, turning and hastening back over to the desk, rooting through her dark coats pockets, eventually tugging out a blank slip of paper, which she flashed in the teens face.

"Contraband checker for the Presi- I mean, her Majesty the Queen." She spoke quickly, urgently, already backing towards her trolley. "Don't mind me." The corners of her lips quirked into a definitely forced grimace, and with that, she darted off, shoving the trolley out of the shop, one wheel squeaking.

The Doctor turned back to the till, resuming his humming. New song playing. Not bad, as far as pop music on Earth went...it even managed to drown out that damn bleeping...he reached into his inner jacket pocket for his wallet -

Was that psychic paper the woman had flashed?

He froze, fingers twitching nervously as he thought back. Yes. Yes it was. Ah. Now that was interesting.

Slowly, he backed away from the till, lips pursing as he tried to resist the urge to follow. He had to. The woman had psychic paper. And a trolley full of meat. His pace picked up, and soon he was jogging out into the car-park, past the storage area where the TARDIS had decided to land and get comfortable, and out into the main street. The girl was off in the distance, running full pelt. Definitely interesting.

He set off after her, hair flying wildly in the wind, jacket billowing out a  
little with his movement.

When he rounded a third street corner, he realised he had certainly been right to follow. In front of him, there was a large black van, the back doors wide open,well, the main back doors open. There was one set of cage doors that were most definitely shut, a small square device locking it, a tiny green light bleeping. And inside the cage...

A relatively small creature, easily mistaken for a stray dog, if you weren't extra-terrestrially aware. The tell tale signs lay in it's shimmering dark coat, gleaming in the shadows, bristling with each and every movement. It's eyes glowed softly in the darkness, a luminescent Amber-red, the pupils mere slits. Another rather obvious sign was the teeth. Long, razor thin shards of bone, with serrated edges, much like a saw. Wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of those, the Doctor mused as he stared at the creature in respectful awe. It stared back at him through the metal grating, it's hackles lifting from the dagger-like fangs. It's claws scraped against the interior of the van, where the Doctor could see the meat the woman had bought, well, stolen, before. Slowly, it took a step around, turning, it's shoulders dropping, preparing itself for a pounce, it's eyes burning red now. The Doctor slowly took a step back, a hand gripping his lapel, the other delving into his pocket for his sonic screwdriver-

The growling droned mercilessly, sending a thrill of adrenaline through his veins.

It pounced-He tugged out the screwdriver- a figure darted between them as a wall of light stopped the creature from even reaching the metal grating.

The Doctor froze, stuck in the position of hastily leaning away from the creature on the other side of the metal. His lips were parted , his green eyes watching, always watching the movement in the cage. There was a very manly hand on his chest, he suddenly realised, and looked down abruptly, following the manly hand, up to a manly, muscly arm, that was thankfully attached to a body. A body that he recognised, with a start.

"Jack?!" He asked uncertainly as the man blinked, eyes running up and down his body. The Doctor beamed widely, rocking back on his Doc Martin clad feet, a hand raised slightly.

"You OK, there?" Definitely Jack, with that Poster boy, pearly white smile of his. He waved a hand vaguely at the cage, his whole manner deliberately charming. "Don't worry, that dog won't be breaking out any time soon, we're just heading off to the pound to-"

The Doctor cut him off, leaping forwards, hands gesticulating wildly.

"Captain Jack Harkness!" He beamed. "Intergalactic playboy and all-round flirt! Surprised to say it, but boy, have I missed you!" His smile widened at the blatant bewilderment on Jacks face. He raised both arms, darting forwards. "Oh, come here, you!" He leapt forwards and enveloped the confused man into a huge, firm hug, ignoring the slight headache his proximity caused. Jack ,for his part, flustered, but returned the hug , patting the Doctor on the back. His voice was a little strained with awkwardness as he spoke.

"Nice to see you again too, uh...Jim." The last name was a blatant guess, and it made the Doctor fight back a small chuckle, though he pulled back, arranging his features into an offended grimace. Seeing that, Jacks eyes widened, and he immediately attempted to rectify the situation. "Roderigo?" He asked uncertainly, and this time the Doctor couldn't help a scoff.

"No." He stated, words trembling with suppressed laughter. "Just...no."

The good captain still looked hopelessly confused, and the Doctor didn't blame him, knowing that they hadn't seen each other since his last face. Still, he waited another minute, clasping his hands behind his back and rocking back slowly on his heels. Jack pursed his lips, about to take another guess, but the Doctor stopped him, dreading what name Jack would assign him next.

"Big Blue Box." The Doctor stated slowly, dragging out the syllables playfully, watching the comprehension dawn in his old friends blue eyes.

"...Oh my god." He said softly, his lips twitching, widening into a ten-thousand watt beam. He suddenly reached out, gripping the Time Lord by the shoulders and giving him a small shake. "Doctor!"

Happy that was now sorted, the Doctor gave his best smile, green eyes twinkling.

"That'd be me." He replied, and Jack's hands raised to cup his face. Slightly awkward. But considering the man had already kissed him once, the Doctor could bear it for now.

"So you did regenerate again." Jack mused softly. "I mean, I heard rumours but..." his hands tightened their grip, beginning to tug at his features, examining him carefully, critically. "You got young again." he laughed, ignoring the Doctor's half hearted protests. "That's so not fair. Still, your kinda...cute. In , y'know, a geeky way." one hand lifted to tug gently at the hair flopping over his green eyes, before they both slid down to his shoulders, patting at his frame, as Jack eyed him up and down, blue eyes twinkling mischievously.

"Jack-" The Doctor protested, only to be ignored for his trouble.

"Hey, I always had a question. " Jack asked happily, hands still travelling down, now patting at his chest. "The face gets younger...but does everything else get younger too? Like, for instance, your-"

"Do you mind?!" The Doctor cut in hastily, scandalised, backing away abruptly when he deemed the hands as getting TOO frisky. Awkwardly, he tugged at his tweed jacket, avoiding Jacks gaze.

The ex-Time Agent looked away, still beaming shamelessly, looking for - ah. The young woman from the shop, as well as a young man in a dark suit and white shirt.

"Ta-da!" Jack sang to the woman, his hands gesturing towards the Doctor theatrically. "I found him for you."

There was a silence, in which the young woman took in the Doctor, a dark eyebrow raising sceptically. He rocked back on his heels again, fidgeting nervously from foot to foot . He had to say, he really wasn't enjoying all the scrutiny today. Not one bit. Especially since the scrutiny was now coming from a complete stranger that he had the oddest suspicion that he should know. So he decided to scrutinise her too.

She was young, around twenty or so. Wearing a large overcoat, left open to reveal a rather boring outfit of a plain blue t-shirt and black , drainpipe jeans. TARDIS blue, he mused distantly, the same colour that was on her feet. Rather nice but very tattered Chuck Taylors. Well worn, she had obviously gone far with those shoes. Her dark hair had been rather scruffily chucked up into a semblance of a bun, though wisps of brown hung loosely around her thin and pale face. There were bags under her brown eyes. Lack of sleep recently. Though, if she worked with Torchwood, that was nothing out of the ordinary. She had lost weight recently too, from the look of it. Her rosy lips parted slowly, and she spoke, her voice very slightly accented. A local girl then.

"He's the Doctor?" She asked sceptically, her tone disbelieving. "THE Doctor?"

He smiled politely at her, giving a little wave, before twisting to look at Jack, waiting for an introduction. Then it struck him, the way she had said 'THE Doctor', with a sort of reverence that he usually had reserved for characters such as Dickens, or Elvis, or-

"Oh, she's a fan, isn't she?" He asked Jack excitedly, striding up to the girl, who was still staring at him, her lips parting a little, her brown eyes watching his every movement. Her face was unreadable as he took her hand, shaking it enthusiastically, making her whole arm and shoulder jerk with the motion. All the while, he was speaking, happily getting carried away by the notion that he had a fan.

"Yep," he stated proudly, "I'm the Doctor, that's me. I bet you're pleased to meet me, aren't you?" He released her hand, stepping back a little and digging into his larger-on-the-inside pocket. "And to think, we wouldn't have met if you hadn't used that psychic paper-" he shook a finger at her, a smile still plastered across his features, blatantly unaware that she was just gaping at him, seemingly lost for words. "Almost got away with that! But...ah!" He tugged at his jacket to look into the pocket, finally pulling out a Sharpie pen, presenting that to the bewildered woman. "Would you hold that a second? Thank you, I just need to find-" His words were drowned out as he delved into the pocket again, mumbling to himself.

Jessica looked up at Jack, eyes like saucers, holding the pen with the very tips of her fingers, like it was a bomb that was about to go off. Jack beamed widely, stepping back, hands raising as if to say 'He's all yours honey'. The reply was a swift glare, cut off as the Doctor raised his head again, pulling out a small, yellow rubber duck. He gave it a squeak once, pointing to it , goofy grin still in place.

"No paper. Just a duck." he cheerily squeaked it again. " Rather unorthodox, but there we are. It does have a bow tie though, and I think that's a sign. Speaking of signs-" He excitedly snatched the pen back, popping off the lid. It dropped to the floor, which he ignored, focusing intently on scribbling upon the ducks back.

Jessica opened her mouth to protest, but he was already done, presenting the duck to her with a flourish. On it, there was now a rather decorative , scribbled question mark. A bloody autograph. She bit back a biting comment, choosing instead to glare at this imposter. Her dad hated publicity, despised it when his team at Torchwood saluted him, for crying out loud. The Doctor, clone or not, would not be this attention starved, surely.

The Doctors grin faltered when she didn't take the duck, but then a thought occurred to him.

"Ah. Yes. This won't do."

She shook her head, and the smile fixed back into place, brightening his features.

"Sorry, you're right, absolutely, 100 percent right. A question mark is entirely too enigmatic. Hold on."

He pulled the duck back to him, and hastily scribbled across it again. Jessica's hands clenched into fists by her sides. This man was a big headed, geeky looking idiot, and if he thought for one second that she would be fooled by this, this mockery of a-

He shoved the duck in her face again. Now, beneath the question mark, it read:

' love the Doctor x'

He had even put a sickening little kiss. She resisted the urge to slap him, forcing a smile and reaching out to take the duck. He yanked it away before she could take it though, instead squeaking it once more, pressing its little rubber beak against her pale cheek. He then, ignoring her shock, dropped it into her still open hand, gave her a huge hug again and turned on his heel, striding back over to Jack.

Jack fought back stunned laughter, throwing an arm around the Doctor's shoulders, pulling him away from the scene slightly, mostly for the Time Lords safety. Jessica looked about ready to murder him. Maybe it would be better for him to explain the situation. Ianto gave him a small smile, looking a bit lost.

"Look, doc..." He began, but the Doctor cut in front of him happily.

"Oh, she was nice. I liked her." He stated, turning to look over Jacks arm, giving a small and awkward wave to the bewildered and somewhat furious young woman. He then turned back, looking eagerly to his old friend. "Anyway! Long time no see, Captain! How are you nowadays? I see you're still at Torchwood, that looks to be going well." He nodded, looking around. "So I assume you've got someone? You always did have some sort of thing going on. Come on, come on. Spill. Who's the lucky man, woman, cyborg or all of the above?" He asked cheerily, clasping his hands together, and rubbing them excitedly, looking to Jack expectedly. This was Ianto's cue to dart over, a good thing as Jessica was making him a little nervous, still glaring at the little duck as though it had just insulted her.

"Man." Ianto raised a hand slightly, drawing attention to himself, before presenting it to the famed Time Lord. "Ianto Jones, it's an honour. Jack's told us about you. Well." he mused as the Doctor enthusiastically shook his hand. "Not a lot, but enough." He shot a sly glance at Jack, who just looked as innocent as he could. "You were involved in the Sycorax incident a couple of years back, weren't you?"

The Doctor immediately leaned back a little, eyes distant, clearly reminiscing.

"Oh, yes, the Sycorax. That was a while ago...blimey. That was when I got my hand chopped off, Jack, do you remember?"

Jack nodded, chuckling.

"Doc, there's something-"

"I mean, you weren't there, you'd only remember because the poor thing ended up landing on your head and getting pickled in a little jar-"

"Doctor."

"- but that all turned out alright in the end, so no point in complaining there."

The rubber duck bounced suddenly off the Doctor's tweed jacket, landing on the floor at their feet with an apathetic little squeak. There was a silence, in which they all stared down at the little rubber creature, and it stared back at them, a creepy little smile on its little rubber beak. Then, as one, the three men turned to face the young woman, who stood, hands on hips, glaring impressively, lips pursed furiously, and eyes burning straight through them. Jack and Ianto winced, stepping away from the Doctor, who dropped down to pick up the duck, staring at it, his eyes filling with all the adorable hurt of a kicked puppy. He stared at the words for a minute before looking up at the seething woman.

"You don't like it?" He asked, the hurt seeping pathetically into his bewildered voice. "I did write 'love the Doctor'."

Her glare only increased.

"I don't accept stupid gifts from impostors." She snarled , stepping forwards. "Who are you really?"

He blinked, rearing back, his hand raising, fingers twitching nervously. He pouted a little, lips parting. Slowly, his eyes slid to Jack, bemused, before sliding back to look into the young woman's face earnestly.

"I'm no impostor." he stated, a little confused. "I'm the one and only Doctor." His nose wrinkled, and he amended. "Well. Of eleven." that still wasn't right, he thought with a grimace , and added, "So far." That was better. "Hold on." He raised his other hand, thinking. "So when did you meet 'The Doctor'? Rainbow jacket?"

Her brows furrowed, her lips parting, lost again.

"...what?"

"Guessing not." He murmured, and turned, pacing to and from the back of the car, where the creature had curled up, drifting to sleep, Amber eyes lazily watching the scene. They glowed softly in the darkness.

"Ooh!" He paused. "A vegetable! Was I wearing celery?"

Guessing from the tightening of her eyes, and the flash of bewildered fury, it wasn't the vegetable.

"Alright. Ummm..." He thought back. "What about...Victorian-y. Did I look like a Victorian version of Alan Rickman?"

Jack looked to Ianto, exchanging a glance with him. While Ianto looked bewildered and confused, Jack was loving every second of this.

"No." She said through gritted teeth. "You-"

He shook his head, cutting in again.

"An umbrella?" he asked, looking for a spark of recognition. "Was I all old looking? Leather Jacket?"

"I remember that guy." Jack muttered to Ianto, tugging at his ears slightly, laughter in his eyes. Ianto smiled politely, not getting the joke.

Suddenly the Doctor's face lit up.

"Was I ginger?" He asked excitedly, receiving a huge glare from the woman, whose foot had begun to tap impatiently. His face fell. "Aw, well, worth a try. A cape?"

Nothing.

"Oh come on!" He cried exasperatedly. "Give me something to work with! Did I give you jelly babies?"

The young woman rolled her eyes, and turned, digging her hands into her pockets and striding away. Tears pricked frustratingly in the corners of her eyes. He had gotten her hopes up, but this...was disappointing. And she was running out of time. The next thing he called out though, had her freeze mid-step, eyes widening.

"A brown overcoat!" He yelled as a last resort, shocked when it made her freeze. A good sign, no doubt. "Yes?" He asked, a smile lighting his features. "A brown overcoat, and pinstripes? Sound familiar? Messy brown hair and-"

"Converse." She finished, not turning. Her voice was hoarse with shock. "Chuck Taylors."

He beamed.

"Good old converse." he exclaimed, wiggling his toes inside his shoes, looking down. "Mind you, I much prefer my Docs now, Doc Martins are cool." he smiled down at the shoes before glancing back up, eyes twinkling.

He froze mid-thought.

"Hold on a tick. I would remember meeting you." He blinked, tilted his head. "I think I would. I would definitely, " another tilt of his head, the dark strand of hair flopping in front of his green eyes. "Most probably remember meeting you."

She turned slowly, lips twitching into a half-smirk, her arms folding.

"Nice try, but knowing what he wears proves nothing to me."

The Doctor stared at her for a long moment, before suddenly shaking himself out of it, hands raising to briefly run through his hair.

"No, wait, I'm all confused now. Were we on Earth when we met?"

She pulled a face, throwing her hands frustratedly up into the air.

"What is this?!" She asked , exasperatedly. "Twenty Questions?!"

"Just answer it!" He replied, throwing his own arms up into the air, and mirroring her stance, moving close so that they were face to face,looking into one another's eyes. Hers were tense and full of mistrust, his clear and deep, and glistening with faint amusement. For all the confusion and arguing, this was turning out to be a lot more fun than a simple trip to ASDA. Just wait until he told Amy what she was missing.

Her lips parted, and she slowly gritted out an answer, unsure as to why she hadn't just left. There was something about him, something ...otherworldly...that gave her hope.

"Technically. Yes." She stared into his eyes, seeing a faint familiarity in their depths, though they were the wrong colour.

He blinked, thinking.

"New Earth, then?" he asked hopefully, hastily rethinking when the spark of fury reignited in her eyes. They were familiar, warm and a rich chocolate hue that he had only seen on one other person. Sure, many people had brown eyes, it was a fairly common colour, but that shade, that exact shade was a rarity.

"Old!" He blurted out, trying to appease her. "Old Earth. Am I getting warmer?" he asked hopefully, smiling slightly. She exhaled sharply, moving away from him and going over to Jack.

"This man is an idiot." She said determinedly, as Jack grimaced. "What kind of prank are you trying to pull? This isn't funny, you know-"

"Picasso!" The Doctor suddenly blurted out, hands clasping his head in realisation, though it was a total stab in the dark now. The three people present stared at him like he had grown another head, a look he was used to, but still. Not encouraging. Hmm.

"Cas...anova..." he guessed. "You are the woman I sold the chicken I was going to give to Casanova. You owe me a chicken!"

Her eyes closed, her thin fingers rising to pinch the bridge of her nose. He was exhausting, and she wished he would just give up, before she cracked.

"What?" Her voice was frail, tense, and he moved a hand, to rest it against his hip, the other still running through his hair.

"Oh, I don't know. I was a whole different man back then."

That made her eyes open, and she grimaced, realising she had never truly entertained the notion of regeneration. A whole different man. She had never thought just how different he could become, because her mother and father had never really explained the concept, just that it existed.

Slowly, she took a deep, calming breath, looking to Jack for support. He gave her a small nod, and she took another breath, moving over to the strange man calling himself the Doctor.

"You want to know how I know him?"

He nodded, pulling a pleading face, and she smirked.

"Well. I never actually met him."

The man's jaw dropped, and he exhaled sharply.

"You couldn't have said that before?! That explains a lot!" he placed a hand over one heart, beaming. "Phew! Thought I'd lost it for a minute there..."

The smirk dropped from her features, her expression suddenly turned serious, masking a sadness that the Doctor noticed instinctively.

"He's my dad." she murmured, and his world crashed around him for a brief second, the sound rushing through his ears, drowning out his thoughts.

Behind him, in Jessica's line of sight, Jack raised two thumbs up, mouthing out , 'Doing great, kid!', making her grimace slightly, watching the gobsmacked Time Lord for a reaction, suddenly unable to breathe freely, her hearts pounding out a drumbeat through her body.

He mouthed for a long moment, eyes tightening as he squinted, trying to frame words. Finally, when she truly began to worry, he squeaked,

"Now , THAT I would remember. Definitely...wait, what?" the last word was breathless, hopelessly confused, and just a little bit thrilled. She forced a small smile, though it was the last thing she felt like doing.

"The Doctor," she explained softly, "is my dad. Technically." she blinked, biting her lip, and her head tilted as she amended, "Biologically, anyway. It kinda was and wasn't him."

The Doctor blinked, his eyes wide, his jaw slack with shock as he stared at the young woman, beginning to register her words.

"Of course it wasn't him!" The Doctor exclaimed, gesturing to himself. "I'M him!"

This snapped at her already frail patience.

"Of course you aren't him." She growled, Pacing away and calming herself before returning and mumbling, "He isn't even in this universe."

It took a long, long minute for him to absorb those words, and when he did, things made a little more sense.

"Another universe?" he checked, receiving a curt nod. "Is..." he cleared his throat, feeling a sudden lump there. "He's not human...is he? By any chance? Partly?"

She narrowed her eyes, her words biting.

"He's a clone of this worlds Doctor."

"...oh." he responded, feeling a little faint. "Oh." This time, the word was stronger, as he began to babble, his internal autopilot taking hold as he reeled.

"So he did settle down then." He found himself saying. Jack made to move forwards, but Ianto stopped him, placing a hand on his chest and shaking his head. "That's...that's good. Very, very good. Yes. Um." he turned, walking up and down, feeling a sudden inexplicable burst of energy, like he could just run, run away from this woman, pretend he hadn't heard what she had just told him. ASDA didn't seem all that awful now. "Tell me. " He paused, looking to the girl, fingers twitching with all the pent up energy. "He's got a mortgage, hasn't he?! I just know it, he's got a mortgage and a poxy little flat with, with windows, and carpets and doors!" he threw his hands into the air, realising they were shaking. His voice was rising to a shout with every word, his pace quickening agitatedly. "Doors, and ...and a coffee machine!" he yelled into the young woman's face, as she blinked, unmoving and startled. There was fear in her eyes, though her features were unreadable. "I have a coffee machine, I just know it!" He slowed down, standing still, though his hands still trembled as he ran them down his face, looking to Jack desperately. "A coffee machine is just too domestic, Jack." He whispered, and Jack grimaced, at a loss for what to say.

The young woman started, blinking in shock. She reached slowly for the Time Lord, gripping his arm tightly.

"'S ok. Mum would never let Dad buy a coffee machine. He kinda made one out of a CD player and an old toaster when I was ten, though..." Her gaze drifted for a brief moment.

One word registered in the entirety of that, making it through the haze of the Doctors thought process.

"Mum?" He repeated, faintly. "Your mum...she's... Wait. What is your name?" He asked softly, his hearts beginning to race.

She bit her lip, worrying it for a moment before she slowly said,

"Jessica. My name is Jessica Tyler."

He stared at her , then suddenly, miraculously broke into exhilarated whoops of laughter, throwing his arms around her waist and picking her up, spinning her around with a massive, relieved grin on his face.

"Oh, well done him!" He cried happily, putting her down and kissing her on the forehead. She jumped slightly at the motion, still not fully trusting. "Well done him," He repeated, before his face dropped, head tilting slightly to the side. "The lucky so and so. Still," He raised a hand, finger wagging in the air as he turned and strode away. "I do NOT envy him the mother-in-law..."

"Oi." She instinctively argued. "There's nothing wrong with Grandma Jackie."

He turned again, fingers fidgeting.

"Of course there isn't." He said placating. "Bar the slaps and the cooking." His smile widened again. "Ha!" He pointed at her. "You said Grandma!" His gaze swung over to Jack, who didn't know how to respond. "She said Grandma! Jackie Tyler, a grandma, can you imagine? Handing out mint humbugs and sitting in a rocking chair, knitting away -actually," He amended, smile dropping abruptly, fingers fidgeting restlessly in the air."...She'd be the type to trip people up with her walking stick-"

The young woman pulled a face, cutting in.

"Oi! She's only in her sixties, not her nineties!"

He ignored her happily, gesticulating widely, a beam plastered across his features excitedly.

"And I can just hear her moaning on and on and on about the health service-"

Jessica pinched the bridge of her nose again tiredly, tuning out his babbling.

Across the way, beside the vehicle, Ianto glanced to Jack, motioning to the scene before them.

"Do you think we should-" He gestured , and Jack shook his head, taking his hand gently.

"Leave them to it, Ianto. If he's anything like the last model, he just needs to use up some energy. He'll get bored in a second hopefully, and then the fun stuff begins."

Ianto's lip quirked somewhere between a smile and a grimace.

"The potential end of this universe cannot be classed as 'fun', Jack."

This made the fifty-first century man smirk, and he smoothly replied. "Sure it can. Anything with the Doctor is fun." He waggled his eyebrows meaningfully and Ianto abruptly yanked his hand free, a frown wrinkling his forehead.

"That's great, Jack." He snapped, moving away. Jack instantly caught his arm.

"Hey. Hey, what was that about? What did I say?"

Ianto stiffened, tugging his arm out of Jack's grip, avoiding his earnest gaze.

"Ianto?"

His eyes closed, as he tried to block out his turbulent emotions.

"You enjoy your fun with the Doctor, I've got an alien to return to base and catalogue." He spoke calmly, though Jack could hear a slight tremor in his words, as he stepped away to open the car door, slipping into the drivers seat. Guilt flooded him as he realised the issue. Ianto was jealous. Bless him. The notion brought a small, fond smile to his face, as he turned away, knowing the man would need time to calm down.

He looked back upon the scene just in time to see the Doctor pausing, his hands raised a little in front of him, the very image of some geeky Oxford professor. His brow puckered, a frown darkening his features.

"But he's me." He stated softly, and Jessica half shrugged, a non-committal sound coming from her throat. He elaborated, gesturing vaguely with a hand. "He's a clone. Was...a clone." The frown suddenly disappeared as he screwed his eyes shut, shaking his head as if to clear it. "It's complicated...But, surely, logically that means-"

Jack chose this moment to jump in, hurrying over and clapping the Time Lord on the back, forcing a wide grin and finishing his sentence for him, his voice loud and forcibly happy.

"She's your daughter! Congratulations, daddy, it's a girl!" The grin widened a little as the Doctor jumped , turning a little, eyes suddenly a little desperate, his lips separating as though he longed to argue the case. His next words were playful, trying to lighten the moment. "You must be so proud."

The Doctor gaped for a long and very awkward moment, evidently gathering his hectic thoughts. Jessica found herself stood, rocking back on her heels, gazing around nervously as she dug her hands into her coat pockets. Why did she suddenly feel so...so...tense? It wasn't like she wanted to be accepted by this supposed version of the Doctor. She was after him for the help, not for the family values. But somehow, she found herself biting her lip ,uncomfortably hoping that the stranger in the the unattractive tweed jacket would accept her story as fact. That must be what it was; she needed his belief so that he would save her dad. No more, no less.

"I'm a dad." He finally said, lips quirking uncertainly. " A father."

She nodded once, a sharp, quick jerk of the head, which rather hastily shifted into a shake of the head, and then a half-shrug.

"Yeah. No. Mostly. Maybe." She bit her lip, trying to make sense of her own suddenly confused thought process. "If you want to be." she finally settled with, regretting the words seconds after they had been spoken. They hung in the air like an awkward heavy mist, making her feel like she was a little girl all over again.

Slowly, oh so slowly, he raised a hand towards her, smiling softly and reassuringly at her.

"It is a great pleasure to meet you, Jessica Tyler." He spoke quietly, seriously, his green eyes sparkling pleasantly, like the stars he was so fond of. She stared blankly at his hand for a long minute, and he stepped closer, taking her hand and shaking it with that same, soft smile that made her want to hug him and cling to him. It reminded her of nights, when she was young, when she would run downstairs, scared of the shadows under her bed, and her dad would chase them away. When he tucked her into bed, making her feel safe , he would wish her a goodnight with that very same smile. Tears pricked in the corners of her eyes. And somehow she knew it would all be ok. Which, given the circumstances, was a highly unusual feeling.

And this stupid, meaningless sense of dependance would have to go, she decided firmly, before she found herself looking up to an alien man who was supposedly connected to her father.

...…

Now, a lot of the characters I'm using are new to me, so please tell me if I'm not sticking to how they should be. Or if I am. it would be much appreciated.

Until the next time,

Konekoxsasaki 


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